Box Score

HAMDEN, Conn. - Led by sophomore forward Kelly Babstock's (Mississauga, Ontario) first hat trick of the season, the Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team earned a dominant 5-1 win over Rensselaer on Saturday afternoon at HighPoint Solutions Arena at the TD Bank Sports Center. No. 6-seeded Quinnipiac (17-14-2, 12-8-2 ECAC Hockey) finishes its season on a two-game winning streak and now prepares for a best-of-three series matchup against No. 3-seeded Clarkson in the opening round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament next weekend.

With the loss, Rensselaer falls short of the playoffs and ends its season with a 9-21-4 overall record and a 6-14-2 mark in ECAC Hockey action.
 
Babstock's two second period tallies and one third period empty netter capped off a tremendous weekend for the reigning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, who came away with five goals and one assist in both weekend games combined. Joining Babstock in the offensive effort was junior forward Breann Frykas (East St. Paul, Manitoba) and senior defender Bethany Dymarczyk (Hamden, Conn.), who scored the respective first and last goals of the contest.
 
Quinnipiac's power-play unit made an impact for the second straight game, as it went 2-for-5 on the afternoon. Rensselaer was held to 0-for-3 on its extra skater advantages.
 
While the first period was a stalemate, Quinnipiac's offense came to life in the second stanza, netting three goals in the frame. Frykas' power-play score on a rebounded tap-in began the run, giving the Bobcats the 1-0 edge at the 7:09 mark into the frame. Junior defender Regan Boulton (Brandon, Manitoba), who took the initial slap shot from the point, and sophomore forward Erica Uden Johansson (Sundsvall, Sweden), were each credited with an assist.
 
Babstock proceeded to tally her first goal of the contest at the 12:52 mark of the frame, corralling a rebound off a shot from Frykas. The power-play score increased Quinnipiac's lead to 2-0, as Frykas and freshman forward Nicole Kosta (Mississauga, Ontario) were each credited with an assist.
 
Babstock's second goal of the period came minutes later, as her unassisted tally at the 15:56 mark extended the lead, 3-0. The sophomore forward's own individual effort led to the score, as she intercepted a pass in the Bobcats' offensive zone, dangled the puck in front, before gliding around the crease and gently placing the puck into the net.
 
Rensselaer notched its first goal of the game at the 14:28 mark of the third and final period on sophomore forward Toni Sanders' sixth goal of the year, but empty net goals from Babstock and Dymarczyk at the 16:21 and 19:28 marks, respectively, helped the Bobcats pull away for the victory.
 
Overall, junior goaltender Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) turned away a game-high 18 shots in the game, while freshman goalie Brianna Piper made 17 saves for Rensselaer.